Director General Ruben G. Echeverría of the Palmira, Colombia-based Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) or International Center for Tropical Agriculture visited the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) last January 27, 2016. With the CIAT Director General was CIAT’s Director for Asia Dindo M. Campilan and University of the Philippine Los Baños (UPLB) Professor and Member of CIAT’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Agnes C. Rola.
The visit paved the way for the revival of the PCAARRD-CIAT partnership, which was historically established in six agreements in 1975, 1981, 1989, 1995, 2000, and 2003.
Presidential Decree (P.D.) 1249, which was signed in 1977, is the legal framework for CIAT partnership with the Philippine National Agriculture Research System (NARS).
The discussion between the two agencies focused on a stronger partnership based on the PCAARRD’s Industry Strategic S&T Plans (ISPs), programs, and projects and how these relate to those of CIAT’s priorities. These include soils and landscapes, and decision and policy analysis, among others.
CIAT’s R&D priorities focus on collaborative cassava breeding and cropping systems management; regional alliance for managing pest-disease risks in diversified cropping systems; food resilience in upland & coastal communities through roots and tubers; decision support tools for building climate-resilient agricultural communities; and science leaders for the future: capacity building initiative.
The existing DOST-PCAARRD-CIAT agreement is due for amendment to accommodate the proposed areas of collaboration.
CIAT is one of the 15 specialized research centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and is the headquarters for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). It operates in 98 countries with over 10 thousand scientific staff. As part of CGIAR, CIAT is one of the long-standing partners of PCAARRD in conducting joint R&D and capacity building initiatives.
